Jenson's plays are well adapted to the perusal of earnest students, who will find in them a mine of sterling though often rugged beauty ; but those will be disappointed who look to his works for the amuse ment of a passing hour. In the first place it requires a suitable education to enable a person to relish his imitations of the classic authors; and in the second, his plays do not so much represent human character generally, as mankind under the particular circum stances of Jonson's own time, and many local allusions are made which cannot be understood without some knowledge of the mauners and customs of the time but Mr. Gifford's notes in his edition of Janson are a treasure of this kind of information. The practice of exhibiting the "honours," that is, the peculiarities of character, obtained for Janson the name of the "humorous" poet, which name must he understood in a sense quite different from that in which it is used at present The lovers of a more natural school of poetry are seldom admirers of Jenson, who finds his chief readers among those who like to observe the elaboration of dramatic art. Besides his cone
pleted dramatic works, Jenson has left two fragmeuts, 'Mortimer's Fall,' which be intended to be a tragedy in the Greek style, and the ' Sad Shepherd,' a dramatic etagere] whioli is one of the gems of early English literature. He has also left a translation of Horace's 'Art of Poetry,' an ' English Grammar' of seine merit, and a few poems, collected tinder the title of ' Uuderwoods,' some of which are singu larly beautiful ; as well as a collection of notes In prose, which he entitled' Timber, or Discoveries, made upon lieu and Matter as they have flowed out of his daily reading ; or had their reflux to his peculiar Notion of the Times.' These discoveries contain many valuable plumage/ as well as some acute criticism. Ills 'Cunverstitioue with Drutensond of 1 lawthortlen; are noticed under Thitrestoen, Wimsex. ' Every Man in his Humour' Is the only piece of Jonson's that has kept possession of the etage. ' The Alchemist.' has been abridged to a farce called The Tobacconist.'